Day forty-seven was particularly awful. It was definitely the worst day we had yet to experience on the trail. There was a light rain when we woke up, which automatically put me in a bad mood and made me angrier. We were scheduled to hike just over nineteen miles, majority of it being a two-thousand foot climb in elevation.

I zipped up my jacket, put the hood over my head, and started down the trail without a single word. I no longer feared water but the strong taste of disdain still made it unpleasant. The trail started off flat and simple but a few miles in the elevation started to increase quickly. We pulled ourselves up the switchbacks, looking carefully for slick mud and moss covered rocks. The hiking sticks helped but often caked up with thick mud.

"Ouch!"

I stopped and looked behind to see Annie standing still, favoring her left foot. Finnick and Katniss immediately ran to her and Cressida followed with her stupid camera turned on.

"What happened?" Finnick looked worried and helped her stay balanced.

"I think I have a blister. I stepped down and pain shot through my entire foot. I can't put pressure on my heel." She tried to but instantly favored her foot again.

I stood there watching, wishing we could just continue. It was miserable walking in the rain, let alone standing still.

"Well, we can try to pop it but it might become infected, especially with the rain right now. It needs to stay dry." Katniss looked between them all. She seemed knowledgeable about injuries, both minor and major.

They continued to stand around and make the entire situation overwhelming. "What are we doing then? The longer we stand around, the more behind we are getting." I looked at them as they all stared up at me in disbelief. "What? It's a blister."

"Johanna." Finnick looked at me with a straight face, a complete opposite of his usual demeanor.

"I'm trying to get us to our next stopping point and you are all standing around like you have never had to deal with a blister before. Fucking deal and let's go." I took a step forward to find Katniss standing in front of me.

"Are you actually acting like this right now? She's hurt!"

"She's hurt so take care of it. Quit standing around like a bunch of dumbasses repeating that she has a blister to each other. You are fucking wasting my damn time." I moved closer to Katniss, daring her to become confrontational with me. "Fucking… do… something. We have only made it three damn miles out of nineteen. Let's fix up Miss I Can't Walk Because My Foot Hurts over there."

"Lay off her!" Katniss stepped forward and slammed her palms into my chest, pushing me backwards. I went to respond but she pushed at me again, grabbing at my jacket this time.

"What are you doing?" I screamed as she pulled me to the ground. Without another word, my hand went flying across her face just as Finnick pulled her off of me. Her cheek was already red with an imprint of my fingers.

"Stop it!" Finnick yelled at us.

There was no stopping though. I unbuckled my pack and stood up, lunging forward to attack Katniss. Finnick pushed her aside and grabbed me, hefting my body over his shoulders before reaching down to grab my pack from the ground. "You all stay here. I'll be back." I pounded my fists into his back, screaming and cussing at Katniss as he walked up the trail.

We made it to where the trail evened out and Finnick put me down in the mud. He placed my pack next to me, glaring downward. "You need to calm down. We all know how much you dislike the rain and how much better it would be for you if it never rained ever again. But, guess what, this is nature and it will rain and you accepted that fact when you decided to hike away your problems. This is one of your problems, so figure it out! For now, you stay here. You do not move. The rest of us will be up here soon. Cool off."

I looked up at him with anger but he didn't think a single thing of it.

"Also, you will never talk to Annie like that ever again. She's not going anywhere, Jo. And if you want us to still be friends after this, her being with me is one thing you will have to live with." He walked back down to the trail without another comment. I sat there in the mud in disbelief. Anger still stirred inside of me so I trekked into the forest and found a sturdy tree. I walked ten paces before taking out my axe and throwing it with every ounce of strength I could. The blade buried itself deep into the wood and I continued this until my arm was tired.

They appeared about half an hour later, with Annie walking slowly. She was putting weight on her foot. I didn't bother to ask what they decided to do about the blister; I just took my place for the day in front of the group. Katniss was behind me and still had a red mark across her face.

We stopped early at a different shelter only seven miles into the hike in order to let the open blister dry out. I spent my time in the shelter, not wanting to interact with any of them, even after the rain cleared up.

Katniss eventually sat down next to me though. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Don't apologize. Shit happens."

"I just- I know attacking you was not the-"

"I said no need to apologize. You're not the only person in the world that would love to throw me down in a pile of mud." I cocked my head to the side to look at Katniss, catching a small smirk across her mouth.

She sighed and looked back with a serious look. "Bunkmates still?"

This was the first time either of us even mentioned our sleeping situation. "The last time we spoke, I about ripped your throat out. You're not afraid I'll kill you tonight?"

"Please, like I couldn't take you." Katniss winked and patted my shoulder before standing up and walking outside. She was unbearably innocent but strong. At that moment, I was pretty sure that she did not realize that the entire world was at her feet.

The next three days went a lot better. We passed a group of hikers carrying extra blister pads so Annie was able to start hiking at a regular pace again. We moved quick to catch up with miles lost, adding on to the day's previous plan. The trail stayed rough with rocks and weathered path. There were a few sections with slight climbs but the wilderness was spectacular. The trail was secluded along this corridor which was a nice change. There were zero tourists and we nearly had the entire part to ourselves.

Once we reached McAfee Knob though, people appeared once again. Lots of day hikers and fellow thru-hikers took advantage of the view. Many of them filed out as dusk began to hit but we stayed and watched the sunset, sitting on the edge of the rocky outcrop. This was the most photographed part of the Appalachian Trail and it made sense.

The outlook sat on Catawba Mountain in the Catawba Valley, just miles from the small city of Roanoke. It was the best view on the trail yet. Below us was a valley with a river cutting through it and small houses on plots of land. Grassy fields and young trees covered the area. The mountains rose on the sides, the mature timber towering high into the air.

To the east, the sky was purple and blue and to the west, where the sun was setting, it was orange, yellow, and red. The faces of the mountains that looked out to the west glowed as if they were on fire. On the other side and in the far distance, they were blue. This was an unknown wonder to the world.

As I looked out, admiring the nature in its glory, I got a warm feeling in my stomach. These mountains felt like home. And my mind wondered to how many others this was home to? How many before me called this trail and these mountains their home? In this moment, my past didn't hurt as much as it used to. Comfort took the place of that pain and I genuinely smiled at the feeling.

Katniss poked her elbow at my side before resting her head on my shoulder. I moved my head to the side and glanced down at her. She was a piece of the comfort and it was time that she knew that. I reached around her back and rested my hand on her side, pulling her closer. "We should come back and see the sunrise tomorrow morning." I whispered to her to make sure no one else would hear my suggestion. She gave me a simple nod in response.

That morning we both woke up right as the sky started to become light and silently left the shelter. There was only silence as we backtracked a few miles to the outlook. We sat down facing the east and shivered as the coldness of the rock soaked through our pants.

The sky was turning light blue as the sun began to peak over the mountains. Below us were clouds, covering all but a few ridges and peaks. There were a few birds giving wake up calls and a pileated woodpecker in the far distance. Our shoulders touched and our legs were close to one another as they dangled over the rock ledge. I looked over at Katniss, watching her admire the view. The light of the sun poked into her grey eyes, making them shine.

"Can I share something with you?" My heart thumped loudly in my chest as she turned to acknowledge my question.

"Sure. No need to ask first though." No, I needed to ask first. This was my do or die moment. Not once had I been so nervous talking to someone.

"I… I am really shitty with words, believe it or not. Majority of the time I just end up failing and saying ever damn cuss word when I am as nervous as I am now. And, I feel…," the words were stuck in my mouth. It felt like it was filled with gauze as it dried up.

Then Katniss placed her hand on mine, resting them both in my lap. She smiled at me. "Just say whatever it is you need to say. Why are you nervous?"

Most of the time I spoke without thinking so why couldn't I now. My mind began to race, wondering if she was actually as oblivious as she seemed to what I was getting ready to say. "I think you're okay." My heart sunk into my stomach and I closed my eyes in frustration. "That's not what I fucking meant. I meant that you are, I like, but, a lot. Fuck! Why is this so hard?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. At that point, I wanted to just fall off the cliff with embarrassment. But I took a deep breath and watched the sunrise. I imagined that she was not staring at me intensely with those eyes I had already come to love so much. "I like you, a lot, and not just in a hiking friend kind of way. But, in a I can't walk another mile without you knowing how I feel because I honestly fell for you the moment I saw you and that scared me considering everything that has gone on in my recent past and I-"

"Jo, slow down." She stopped me and continued to focus her energy in my direction. "I like you too." Her hand squeezed mine and my anxiety lessened.

My confidence returned in full-force as I leaned towards her, my face moving but an inch away from hers. Our lips almost grazed each other. She didn't move though. "How much would you hate me if I kissed you right now?"

Her eyes were closed. "Not at all."

I pushed my lips against hers and she pushed back at mine. My free arm wrapped behind her, pulling her in to me as I leaned back until we were lying down. Her lips were everything I imagined and more. They were full and soft and filled with love. They warmed me, catching me on fire as we kissed each other repeatedly, slowly. My hand moved up her back and to the back of her neck into her hair. The soft strands ran through my fingers like silk.

This felt like a revival. The jaded feeling of love disappeared as I kissed Katniss. And I knew in this moment that I would do anything for her. I would go through hell and back to be with her and luckily for me, I had already been through hell. Now I was here and this wasn't a dream I would suddenly jump awake from.

Katniss pulled away and smiled down at me. Her lips had never formed such a perfect shape before but it was contagious as I smiled back up at her. I moved a few lose strands of hair behind her hair. "We should head back before everyone wakes up."

"Yeah. We should." She stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet. We walked back to the shelter in contented silence but when we arrived, everyone in the group was sitting at the picnic table. They looked over at us with smug smiles.

Finnick was the first to chime in. "Did you two go watch the sunrise?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" My hand rested on my hip as I stared him down.

"Not one bit. Did you enjoy it? Did you like when the sun kissed the sky?" I wanted to smack the smile right off of his face. "Cressida went there to film the sunrise to compliment the sunset video last night and saw you two lovebirds kissing."

I looked over at Katniss and saw that she was blushing. "And?"

The man continued to give me his arrogant look. "Nothing. Just wanted to know if anything is going on between you two. I had suspected it."

"It is none of your damn business and if you knew what was best for you, you would stay out of it." I marched to the now empty shelter and grabbed my pack, pulling out my granola bars. Katniss followed me in.

"Thanks for not saying anything yet."

"Yeah, no problem." My reply was probably more nonchalant than she wanted to hear. "It really is none of their business, only ours."

She nodded. "I like it that way."

"Good, so do I." I stole a quick kiss from her before joining everyone at the picnic table.

The fifteen mile hike to Daleville, Virginia was not too bad. We hiked down a steep valley and then made our way over three peaks before a large decline that led us into town. Our first stop was the post office right before it closed. The other four had boxes waiting for them full of extra supplies and food. When they realized that I did have a box, they all looked at each other.

"We will get you a box in the morning to send off to the next location." Finnick patted me on the shoulder with the intention of comfort. It didn't bother me except that every one of their boxes had something from their families in it. That was a ridiculous thing to be bothered by. Jealousy was not the problem, just the simple fact that I continued to miss my father and both of my sisters.

I shook it off. "I don't need a box to send from place to place. I already have all of my supplies with me. What the hell am I going to send to myself?"

"I take it back then. No boxes for you." He moved his box away from me and I punched him in the arm. "Ow! Will you stop that?"

"When you stop being such an ass."

"Jo, I have a letter for you in my box." Katniss looked up at me with an envelope in her hand. "It's from Prim."

I looked at Katniss in confusion before accepting the letter that she extended towards me. It was sealed in a bright pink paper envelope. I stepped away from the group before opening the small written gift. Inside was a folded up piece of white printer paper.

'Johanna,

I hope you have doing well and are protecting my sister from any bears. She has talked about you a lot when she gets a chance to call. I hope you are as good of a person as she thinks. My mom and I packed you a box of granola bars and a chocolate bar for you, so make sure Katniss doesn't eat them but gives them to you instead. Have a safe hike and we hope to meet you in Vermont!

Prim and Mrs. Everdeen"

The letter made me smile, even though there was a slight threat inside. Katniss thought I was a good person. There were days where I didn't feel like a very good person. There were days where I felt like I did nothing at all to make the world even a small percentage better and just made it completely worse. But, Katniss thought I was a good person and that was enough to make me feel like a quality person, even if for a brief moment.

Remembering that there was food with my name on it, my eyes glanced up from the letter. "There is food in that box for me!"

"I know. It literally has your name on it, calm down." Katniss already had it pulled out and handed the small box and chocolate bar over to me. I cherished my gift from her family. They were loving just my father and sisters, which made the feeling of home hit me in the chest. It felt warm. I still had nowhere in particular to go in the world but I was starting to feel home to the world. Like Nature was finally telling me that I was at least on the right path to finding my purpose and reasoning.